A King Kullen timeline
In 1930 Michael Cullen opened his first supermarket, in Queens. The company later moved to Long Island. Credit: King Kullen/Bill Davis
1930 - Michael J. Cullen opens King Kullen Grocery Co. on Jamaica Avenue in Queens.
1933 – Company buys Trump’s Market, a single grocery store in Woodhaven, Queens, from developer Fred Trump, father-to-be of future President Donald Trump.
1936 – Nan Cullen assumes control of the company after the sudden death of her husband, Michael J. Cullen.
Michael J. Cullen opened the world's first supermarket, the King Kullen Grocery Co. Credit: King Kullen/Handout
1956 – First area supermarket chain to offer trading stamps; they were discontinued in 1969
1960s – Rejects buyout offers from Gristede Bros. Inc. and First National Stores Inc.
1961 – Company goes public; the Cullen family retains a controlling interest.
1966 – Buys the nine-store Blue Jay grocery chain, expanding in Suffolk County
1980 – Reaches a high point of 53 stores, of which 31 are in Suffolk
1983 - Goes private again.
1991 – Establishes five separate businesses to manage construction, trucking, advertising and other activities for King Kullen and others.
1995 – First Wild By Nature store opens in a former King Kullen location in East Setauket.
2004 – Launches "Grown on Long Island" program featuring produce from local farms
2019 - King Kullen agrees to sell its 32 stores and 5 Wild by Nature organic supermarkets to Stop & Shop.
SOURCES: International Directory of Company Histories, King Kullen Grocery Co., Newsday, Rochester Democrat & Chronicle and Long Island Press
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